Cut Me Free
by Ryu-and-Lali
Summary: In AC:205,due to an ongoing war, the pilots are forced to relinquish ownership of their children in favor of keeping them safe. It is now AC:221, and the fighting has only barely died down... but the children are needed. This one may be out of their hands
1. Chapter 1

Hello!

Well this is the first time we're doing this, but I hope we do it justice all the same.

This plot was written 7+ years ago by a girl by the screen name Ashley2323, a Canadian resident. I (Vampykitty-kun) grew up on her Gundam Wing post war fanfiction, and loved it immensely.

However, this was many years ago... and Ashley has been MIA for some time... since at least early 2003.

So, we've chosen to take her old fic, affectionately known as "A Hero's Child" and make it our own, keeping much of the plot, and the characters, but adding and fixing up plot.

For example, the original story's first chapter was four pages long with the original author's notes. Our version's chapter one holds eight, not counting author's notes. That's how much change we're making.

**Disclaimer:** We do not own Gundam Wing, or any of its cannon characters. We do not own the original piece of fanfiction, A Hero's Child. That belongs to Ashley2323 of Stone Box Fanfiction in Canada. We do however, own this adaptation of the fic, although I fully recommend reading the original.

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AC- 205

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Slowly but surely, the former Gundam pilots, followed closely by their families, entered the Preventor board room, solemnly taking their seats before Lady Une, Noin, and Zechs. All three present at the head of the room looked strained, fully feeling the pain and heartbreak that made up the air of the large board room.

Zechs squeezed his eyes tightly shut as his sister stepped into the room, the little boy that was her son walked beside her, hands clasped around her own as he looked about wildly. She practically collapsed into her seat, shaking as she ran a hand through her long hair. Slowly, Heero slipped into the room, and joined her, slipping a hand onto one of her shaking shoulders. He glared up at his brother in law... and Zechs couldn't help but feel he deserved it.

"Mama... what's wrong?" The small boy murmured, tugging gently on his mother's shirt.

His blue eyes were wide as he gazed up at her, and she felt her chest tighten as she stared back. The little boy looked so very much like his father... same eyes, same hair color. The only difference was his hairs ability to seemingly defy gravity. It was thick, and stood on end, giving him even more of a wild appearance than his father... however the boy was sweet as can be.

She couldn't answer him, and instead lurched forward, wrapping her arms around him, pulling him close, refusing to let go.

"We have no other choice..." Heero murmured, leaning against her.

She bit back a sob, and nodded her head knowingly.

"I know, Heero... I know..." She whimpered, tears sliding freely down her pale face. "Jase... Mommy loves you, so very much..." She murmured, stroking the child's hair lovingly.

Little Jason eyed his Mother and Father closely. He was only two, but he knew something was wrong. His mother was always a happy woman, and his father had never seemed so tense. He turned his gaze over to Helen, who was being cradled in her Father's arms.

She could sense it too. He could tell...

Her parents weren't crying, but they were close.

Hilde was a stubborn woman, and kept her jaw clenched tightly, fearing that one little quiver would bring on the onslaught of tears threatening to escape her. She couldn't fall apart, not in front of the children... she wanted to be strong. Duo held her to him tightly, and arm wrapped around the waist. Helen occupied the other. He gazed down at the little girl and smiled weakly, his bottom lip trembling. They had named her in honor of Sister Helen from the Maxwell church... from all those years ago. Life of him had been rough then. He'd never thought he'd be putting his own child in the same position...

She reminded him so much of his young self, despite the minor differences. She too wore her hair pulled back into a braid, although kept it loosely pulled together. It just barely touched her shoulders, and was the same blue/black color as her mother's hair. She had his eyes...

They had really made a beautiful child together, he and Hilde... it was a shame that it wasn't meant to be...

The next couple to enter the board room was Trowa and Midi. Their daughter, Indigo, sat perched atop her father's shoulders, batting at his hair playfully. She tugged at his ears, and prodded at his eyes even, but today he did not complain, he only let her have her fun. It confused the small child, but she kept it up, thrilled she was getting away with it for once. She was slightly younger that the rest of the children, who had all been born more or less at the same time. She was barely reaching a year and a half, while the others had all turned two already. Her light brown hair was pulled back into two short pigtails, her bangs framing her face as her bright green eyes danced over the room.

Neither Trowa nor Midi were crying, instead they wore faces more suited for a funeral, both choosing to hide their emotions rather than display them to the young occupants of the room. With a sigh, Trowa lifted the little girl off his shoulders and placed her on the floor. Midi flinched as the girls sandal clad feet touched the floor.

"Why don't you run along and play with the other children, hmm?" He suggested, a small, sad smile playing across his lips.

She beamed up at him, and gleefully shot across the room, making her way towards Jason, to see if he would play. Trowa met Relena's eyes and he grimaced as the sobs broke free from her throat. Midi only watched her daughter, and unconsciously bit on her lip until it began to bleed and Trowa stopped her.

"You're doing it again." Trowa informed her, wiping a driblet of blood from her now swollen lip.

She glanced down, and wiped the remainder of the crimson smear away.

She hadn't even realized she was doing it...

Jason ran up to Helen abruptly, and paused just feet in front of her. The little girl eyed him warily, and he smirked evilly at her. Suddenly, he pulled a pistol from behind his back, and shot her directly in the face.

Heero cracked a smile...Helen only screamed.

"Daddy!" She cried in her tiny voice. "He got me wet!" She wailed, tugging on his pant leg.

Slowly, Duo smiled and leaned in close to his daughter, wiping her face with his shirt sleeve.

"Then get him back." He winked, chuckling as her eyes began to sparkle with new plots of revenge.

Helen smiled, and gave a small nod, before rounding on the boy. Sensing the oncoming peril, the boy shot off across the room, and she pursued him. Soon, he was in hysterics as he tried to escape the wrath of the tiny shikigami.

"Help me! Help!" He cried, hands rose in the air as he darted across the room.

The two children ran circles around Trowa and Midi's legs, and soon Indigo joined in, following them around, occasionally stumbling and falling flat on her face, but she always stood back up. Hilde giggled slightly as she watched the three small children run around.

"At least they're enjoying themselves. That's all that really matters..." Midi muttered, clenching her fists at her sides.

"Yes... at least they're innocent and young enough to not understand..." Trowa murmured, watching them sadly.

Their thoughts were interrupted, as shouting erupted from down the hall. The room's occupants stared at the open door, knowing all too well who was to arrive next.

Wufei and Sally were notorious for their endless bickering... a sign of love between the two; they had all come to understand. Although everyone knew that the two were kind and loving towards one another in their own home, they always argued when they were nervous or upset. In this situation, it was clearly justified...

Shortly after the sounds of their arrival were made known, the two walked through the boardroom doors, still snapping at one another. The couple stomped through the threshold, each carrying a small two year old.

Sally held their son, and Wufei held their daughter. The Chang twins were nearly identical once getting past their genders. The boy, Joeleung, affectionately dubbed Joel, looked very much like the young Wufei with his shoulder length jet black hair, and dark almond eyes. The girl, Jasmine, seemed the female replica of her twin brother, but had her hair pulled back into a bun. Both children were also bickering with each other, fighting over a small bottle of water. They were greeted by three sets of stares as they entered the room. The twins immediately silenced once noticing the other occupants of the room, and stared at the other three children.

"Water fight! Water fight!" Joel screamed, thrashing in his mother's arms, begging to get free.

Sally complied, and with a sigh, let the child dive across the room, water bottle in hand, lid now unscrewed in favor of dumping it over Jason's head. Jasmine did the same, darting off after him, still trying to free the bottle from her brother's clutches. Soon, all five children were rolling around screaming in a giant mass of chaos.

The eight adults looked at each other, all pained.

"This is the worst day of my life..." Duo muttered. "Or at least one of them."

"At least we can still hope that we might see them again, once this is all over... right?" Midi asked, managing a weak smile for the braided man.

The others only nodded. The three at the front of the room only seemed even more defeated as they watched on.

"How can we do this to them...?" Noin sobbed, quickly covering her mouth.

Zechs sighed, and looked back to his heart broken sister, slipping his hand into Noin's.

"It's for the best, as much as I hate to admit it." He muttered, shaking his head. "It would be far worse if we let things continue; the constant worry for them all would be maddening. Our lot should have never brought any children into this world, not while they still do what they do best."

Noin sighed, and leaned her head against the blonde's arm.

"Just because you're right, doesn't make it seem any less wrong..."

"Isn't that the truth...?" Lady Une groaned, rubbing her temples. "I feel absolutely horrible about having them do this, when I get to continue coming home to Mari each day... but if she were their age and not as widely known as she is... I'd have likely made the same decision for her. As is, I've already arranged for her home schooling, and I'll be keeping her off of the radar from here on out."

Noin smiled at the woman sympathetically.

"Aren't we missing someone?" Trowa asked suddenly, searching the room.

"Yeah," Duo chuckled, shaking his head. "Quatre isn't here yet... poor guy."

Trowa slumped, and stared at the open door.

"He's probably taking it the worst... he's not used to sacrifices such as these..." The brunette sighed, and slipped an arm around Midi's waist.

"He probably had to go iron his ridiculous pink shirt, the weakling..." Wufei snorted.

Although the man seemed bitter as always, they'd all heard his voice crack. Duo would have normally mentioned something about it, but even he knew this was neither the time nor the place.

After a few more short minutes, Catherine stepped into the room, followed by Dorothy, and a hysterical Quatre Raberba Winner. The blonde was crying in disbelief, with both Catherine and a rather embarrassed Dorothy trying to calm him, to no avail. A small child followed them through the door, by the name of Daviid Quatre Winner. The boy definitely had Quatre's face and build, but had Dorothy's mischievous look, and straighter, lighter hair. He was spared the woman's extreme eyebrows, but still took on her narrow, yet elegant eyes.

He sucked on his thumb nervously. He had never seen his father cry so much in one short hour... and he kept looking back repeatedly, trying to make sure there wasn't a river with a monster forming behind them.

Dorothy turned to him, and blocked him from walking any farther. He looked up at her questioningly, and she managed a small smirk.

"Daviid? Why don't you run ahead and go play with the others, alright?"

The tiny blonde obeyed instantly, and happily ran to join the stampede of children skirting across the room.

"Auntie Catwin!" Indigo cried, finally noticing the woman as she walked up to her father.

She escaped from the crowd, and instantly ran to give her aunt a tight squeeze.

"Hi sweetie..." Catherine murmured, patting the child on the head.

"Did you bwing me anyting?" Indigo asked, bobbing back and forth in front of the woman.

Catherine laughed, and nodded to herself, reaching into her purse.

"Of course I did! I always do... Here you go." She smiled warmly, slipping a little clown doll into the girls outstretched hands.

Much to her father's surprise, it resembled him in costume rather well. He was silently touched at the small gesture.

Indigo gasped dramatically and clutched the small doll tightly to her chest.

"Thank you Auntie Catwin! I luffles it!" She giggled, and gave her Aunt one last tight hug before leaping from her arms, and rejoining the other children.

With everyone present at last, the adults in the room settled in, silently watching the toddlers rampage across the room. The tears never stopped... and the parents clung to one another. After a silent half hour had passed, Noin gave a heavy sigh, and pushed off the wall, walking towards the others.

"You all know why you are here," She began.

"Hi Auntie Noin!" Jason smiled widely, stopping in his tracks.

The boy waved happily to her, and sipped at a juice box contently. A look of despair washed over Noin's face as she tried to smile at the little boy... and in the end, she bolted back towards the wall, and buried her face in Zechs' chest.

The blonde sent Lady Une a pleading glance, and the woman nodded silently before taking the woman's place in front of the crowd of parents.

"Since this new war has erupted, despite the many years without conflict, it has become far too dangerous for your children to be seen with you..." She stated solemnly.

"Where will you be taking them?" Relena asked urgently, standing from her seat.

Heero only reached for her, and pulled her down into his lap. She did not rise again and instead gripped at the man's arms tightly.

Noin smiled weakly at her sister-in-law as Une continued.

"We'll be sending them to foster parents across the globe and colonies... The parents have already been selected at random, but I assure you that they are all going into the best of care and that the homes have been screened with utmost caution..."

"What about my twins?" Sally cried. "Will they be separated?"

Une looked at her nervously, and her face fell.

"I'm afraid so."

"WHAT!" Wufei snarled, leaping up in rage. "You cannot separate my children! This is INJUSTICE! You cannot do that to them, they would never understand!" he barked.

"Injustice!" Jasmine repeated with a giggle.

Wufei and the others ignored her.

"I'm sorry Wufei, but they cannot stay together." The woman murmured. "Believe me, I understand your concerns, you peril, but it just can't happen like you'd wish..."

"But my children have never been apart before." Argued Sally, "Not once."

"I'm sorry," Une repeated. "But it is far too dangerous to keep them together, it's too obvious."

Sally looked no less upset, but didn't argue her point any further.

"Now," Une continued, "For reasons of confidentiality, you will not know where they are going, nor will you have any possible contact with them until the war is over."

Angry whispers erupted, and tears began to flow once more, even from those who had been trying to control themselves previously. Quatre was practically wailing, with his face buried in Dorothy's shoulder. She rubbed his back softly.

"Who WILL know where they're going?" Hilde asked, panic growing on her ever paling face.

"They will be taken to an adoption agency, and sent to their individual homes from there. Not even Zechs, Noin, or I will know where they are being sent... I'm sorry. All records of the children's' whereabouts, and information about the agency used, are to be burned by next week."

"Then... How are we to locate them once things have returned to normal?" Relena asked, although she was afraid she already knew the answer.

Une shut her eyes and sighed, before returning Relena's gaze.

"That is a question that I have no answer for... Perhaps when all is said and done, those of you with the skills to do so will be able to locate them..." She murmured, pleading for forgiveness with her eyes.

Relena slumped back against Heero's chest, and let her own eyes slide shut.

Hilde could no longer contain her emotions, and sobbed into her husband's neck.

"Oh Duo," She cried, "We'll never see her again..." she moaned, clinging to him.

Duo rubbed her back gently, and did his best to be strong for her.

"Relax babe," He said softly, trying to remain optimistic. "We'll see her again, for sure." Duo lied through his teeth, a quirky grin splayed across his lips in his attempt to hide his sorrow.

To tell the truth, he doubted he would ever see his daughter again... And if he did... why would she want anything to do with them after they had abandoned her? Who knew how long the battles would go on this tie around?

Noin and Zechs looked over the pale faces of the supposedly rock-solid Gundam pilots, and their wives, dread still heavy in their hearts. The pilots made themselves out to be immortals, but now anyone could see that they were just as human as everyone else. She had never before seen them so afraid. It broke her heart to take their children away, but what choice did they have? The Preventers had already received several threats on the pilots, as well as their families. If the wives chose to stay, that was one thing... but they couldn't risk the lives of innocent children...

"It's time." She said quietly, finally mustering enough self-control to rejoin Une at the front. Zechs followed silently behind her.

Each pilot nodded, and with their wives in tow, each of them went to their children and said their tearful goodbyes. Not one of the toddlers understood, but each was happy to with Noin... not know they may never return.

The saddened group of three led the children out the double doors of the boardroom, and out of their parent's lives. Zechs sent a fleeting look back at his sister and her husband, and mouthed a silent apology. Heero gave him a quick, curt nod back, before he disappeared around the corner. Duo had to hold Hilde back, to prevent her from chasing after Helen. Heero did the same, and kept Relena pulled tightly against him, her head pressed into the crook of his neck as she sobbed violently.

The children chattered happily to each other as they followed the remaining adults to the hanger, where a shuttle that would take them to the adoption agency on Earth awaited...

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That is all for chapter one.

As you can see, this takes place post Endless Waltz by several years, where the pilots have already managed to get their lives together.

How and when everyone got together remains a mystery, as to touch on that would mean a whole new fic entirely.

In the original, Lady Une and Mariemaia were not present, at all, and Noin practically ran the Preventors with Zechs by her side. When asked once why those two were never in the story, the author simply answered, 'I never liked Lady Une, so I ignored her existence.'

However, we feel that Lady Une played to much of a part in Gundam Wind to dismiss her completely, and so, we've inserted her into the fic.

Again, we cannot voice enough that this fic is simply our re-write and own personal adaptation of a fic we read ages ago, and we still urge you to read the original, which is NOT posted on this site.

After this chapter, we will no longer be posting these disclaimers.


	2. Chapter 2

Here is chapter two for you all!

We appreciate the reviews, and are very glad that a few of you read the original story way back in the day just like us! Please continue to let us know what you think, and we'll continue pumping out the chapters.

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**AC-221 **

Houston, Texas

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"Stop! THIEF! Come back here at once, you damned brat!" The store owner cried as he raced down the sidewalk in fast pursuit of the teen fleeing the scene. His weight made it hard for him to keep up with the boy and upon reaching the corner he had his hands on his knees taking a moment to catch his breath, the sweat dripped from his balding head. After a moment he continued to pursue the boy.

Jason Schick congratulated himself for his own great work. He grinned wide as he continued to race down the sidewalk atop his skateboard, not caring who or what he narrowly missed running over. The adrenalin racing through his veins made it all the more enjoyable.

"I'm calling the police!" The store owner screamed, still chasing him, although far behind. The man knew he wasn't going to be able to catch up to the boy, so why not involve the cops. It would teach the boy a lesson, and possibly keep him from doing it again if he knew the consequences. Then again, there was no guarantee that this was the first time the boy had done things such as this, either.

Jason's grin quickly became a frown as he looked back over his shoulder at the running man. This guy was a hell of a lot more determined to catch him than others in the past had been. He was beginning to think the Hershey bar he stole was not worth it...

Regardless, he paused in his retreat momentarily, although he was in the center of the street, unwrapping the brown wrapper as he turned to face the man . With a smirk firmly in place, he slipped the chocolate into his mouth, eating it slowly to taunt the man. He was so busy enjoying the look of utter rage upon the man's beet red face, that he only narrowly missed getting hit by several cars as the traffic lights turned green around him. They honked and beeped at him frantically as he dodged the oncoming traffic, resembling the old school Frogger games as he weaved between vehicles narrowly escaping being road-kill before he finally got across the busy street. Much to his pleasure, the raging store owner, was trapped on the other side, which gave him a chance to slip away.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Mom, Dad, I'm home!" Jason called, popping that last morsel of the chocolate bar as he stepped through the open door.

Receiving no answer to his exclamation, he tossed his skateboard into the corner of the hall way, and made his way into the kitchen. As he entered, he froze...

His mother and father were sitting at the kitchen table, looking solemn. His mother fidgeted with her wedding ring, a sure sign of her frustration, and his father looked up at him grimly.

'Shit...' He groaned internally. This was an all too familiar scene for him and there was no telling how long he'd be grounded. 'They got another call from the cops... the bastard actually called them after all, over a stupid candy bar...'

He gave a nervous laugh, and raised both hands, palms facing them, in defense. He figured he could try and explain what had happened, it was worth a try and he hoped that it would keep him out of a major punishment. He really couldn't afford to be grounded… again.

"Listen Mom, Dad, I can explain, I-" He flinched and snapped his mouth shut the moment his fathers hand flew up to stop him. He gulped, and nodded once, letting the man speak.

"You don't know what this is about, sport, so don't jump to conclusions." the man muttered nervously. "Take a seat." The man motioned towards the empty chair.

"Okay…" Jason eyed the man cautiously, before slipping onto the seat beside his mother. This was bad, this was really, really bad, and he knew that whatever this was, it was not going to end well. "So...what's up?" He smiled, trying to be the slightest bit cheerful, but the vibe coming off his parents was seriously beginning to freak him out.

"Jason," His Father began nervously. He glanced at his wife and then back to his son. He took a deep breath and then sighed. "You're Mother and I have something we need to tell you-"

"But we don't want you to feel like you can't trust us because we didn't tell you sooner! We honestly thought it would never come to this!" His Mother butted in. She was on the verge of an emotional breakdown at this point, if the sobs and tears were any indication.

'What the hell is going on?' he thought to himself.

They had never acted like this before even when he was in trouble. Something must have happened, something horrible.

He watched as his father reached across the table, and firmly grasped his mother's hand in his own, hoping to calm her.

"All right, what is it?" He asked.

Against his will, his voice cracked, and he felt his heart begin to race. His parents had never seemed so serious, so terrified, and this concerned him. This wasn't caused by something he himself had done. As unlikely as it would seem, they had somehow gotten themselves into trouble.

"Jason... I'm sorry son, I really am but- oh, how can I say this?" The middle-aged man groaned, raking a hand through his greying hair, having obvious difficulty saying what needed to said.

"Just spit it out Dad... you're totally creeping me out, is everyone alright?" He muttered, feeling his throat tighten in fear. His mind began to race with questions as to why they would be this freaked out and why they were having such a hard time with telling him.

Had his grandmother gone back into the hospital? Had something happened to Ryko?

He felt the panic overwhelm him. That was it, wasn't it? He hadn't been tackled upon stepping through the door. He'd gotten loose... or even hit by a car...

The dread hit him like a brick.

The man before him sighed, and drew in a deep breath before placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Son, you're… you're adopted."

He felt his eyes widen with shock.

"Wait...what?" he gaped.

Had he heard him right?

Did his father just tell him he was adopted?

He was stunned. He had no idea what to say. That had been the last thing he was expecting to come out of his father's mouth...he had never suspected that he was adopted. Never.

He ran his hand through his spiky hair shakily, his pulse still racing. He slowly looked up, and met his mother's eyes and then his fathers.

"Well...damn." He said finally, leaning back against the chair back.

His mother returned to fidgeting with the ring once more mouthing her apologies, over and over again.

"I... don't want you to think that I don't trust you or anything like that, but... why? Why tell me now? Did something happen? I mean... why not tell me on your deathbeds, or tomorrow, or even ten years ago? What's going on that would make you want to tell me NOW?" He asked, clenching at his hair.

He didn't get the reaction he was hoping for... His mother began to sob uncontrollably once again and his father seemed only able to stare down at his hands.

"Son," The man began, looking over at his wife and then back at his son. "Let's go talk in the other room, this is upsetting your mother. Her nerves are shot, we've been trying to muster up the nerve to tell you for some time, and she is worried and relieved now that it's out in the open."

"Okay...yeah, sure." He replied nervously, watching as his father rose from the table. He slowly followed after him, eventually taking a seat on the plush couch across from his father.

"I think I'll just take your advice from earlier, and spit it out. It may make things a bit easier for both of us."

"Yeah, probably..." He muttered, again tugging at his hair.

There was a long pregnant pause as his adoptive Father gathered his thoughts, searching for the right words to say.

"For the past few weeks," He started hesitantly, "We've… we've been receiving phone calls.. phone calls saying that they know you are adopted."

"What! Did they threaten you?" Jason cried, shooting out of his seat, as he began to pace back and forth before the couch.

This was getting crazy... first he'd been told that he was adopted, and then he finds out that someone has been harassing his parents! This was something that he would not stand for, especially if they had indeed been threatened.

"No, Jason, sit back down please, you're making me more nervous than I need be." The man rubbed at his temples. He was trying to keep his calm and with his son pacing, it was only making it that much harder.

Jason complied, and slowly slipped back down onto the couch, watching his father closely.

"We have reason to believe that the man contacting us is your biological father... he hasn't said so, but who else would be wanting to speak with you? Trust me, the man is almost desperate, calls at least once a day. We just thought you ought to know, in case you ever answer the phone and its him. We've been worried for weeks about what you would think of us once finding out... but we're telling you now because we just don't want you to be alarmed, nor think we're hiding anything from you. We didn't want you to find out the wrong way."

Jason nodded slowly, trying to take in everything he was being told.

"Right... Roger that." He sighed, now staring up at the ceiling. "So...what are we going to do, Dad?"

The man shook his head sadly.

"I'm not sure yet son, I'm not sure."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

He'd left the house shortly after the big secret had bet let loose, in order to give his mother, and himself time to think about things.

He'd briefly visited the yard, where Ryko sat laying in the sun within his kennel. He was thankful that the news hadn't been about his dog... or his grandmother for that matter, but the news still hadn't exactly been great...

In all honesty, he'd never once thought that he was adopted... they'd all been so very close. They didn't look too different, as far as appearances went between parents and their children. The shocker had to be that somewhere out there, another set of parents, or at the very least, another father, was searching for him, wanting to desperately get a hold of him once more.

Why now?

He'd been with his 'parents' since as far back as he could remember... why suddenly choose to locate him now?

Jason walked down the main street, staring at the sidewalk.

He just couldn't understand it. Things were happening so fast. What would he say to the man, if he ever DID answer the phone and his real father were on the other end of the receiver? Would he be angry at the man who had let him go, or would he suddenly find himself attached to the mysterious voice at the other end of the line? He didn't know, and it frightened him.

He sighed, and stared down the street at the convenience store he'd stolen the Hershey bar from earlier. It had been pointless really, stealing it... he had had the money all along, he always did. His family was not rich, but they were well off.. Stealing had simply always been...a game, nothing more. A thrill perhaps. Getting away with it, getting caught, it didn't make a difference, except perhaps on his records.

Now he regretted it all...He had disappointed his parents time after time by stealing, vandalizing things, but now? Now he wished he hadn't. They'd taken him in when his real parents couldn't have him, whatever the reason. He didn't want to disappoint them anymore than he already had... and that meant new sacrifices had to be made...

He jingled the money he had been saving around in his pocket. He had only saved fifty dollars over the last month, in effort to purchase a new skateboard, but it was enough. The board could wait...

He had stolen nearly forty dollars' worth of pointless junk in the past year... and he was going to try his best to remember every single place, every item, and pay the store clerks back… It was the only thing he could think of to do, to free himself from his current guilt.

When he stepped into the store, the owner immediately recognized him, and lurched towards the phone.

"Ah, it's the little thief! I'm calling the cops! You won't get away this time!" He yelled, fingers already on the keypad.

"No, wait!" Jason pled, dashing over to the man. "How much do I owe you?" He asked quietly.

The owner paused, and stared at him wide eyed.

"Please," Jason said, "I'm serious. I was being stupid, I want to pay for it."

The amazed shop owner quickly rang it up on the register, watching him closely the entire time.

"One dollar, three cents." he murmured, watching as the brunette placed each bit of change into his hand.

"Here... again, I'm really sorry." He laughed nervously, running a hand through his messy hair.

The owner shakily took the money from Jason, and sorted it into the register, watching as the teen left the store. He'd never seen anything like it, in the entire time he had owned the store, he'd never had a shoplifter come back in and pay for the item they had stolen. It was strange, but refreshing.

For the first time in a long time, Jason left the store with a smile on his face not caused by trickery, and headed off to his next stop.

It was going to be a long day, but that was alright...

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Toronto, Canada

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The door creaked open slowly, a small stream of light spilling in from the ever widening gap between it and the door frame. The small child slipped through the door slowly, careful to be void of sound as she padded over to the mass centered in the twin sized bed. She gazed down at her sister in anticipation. It was ten in the morning... ONLY ten, and thus, the older girl was still fast asleep. For now...

She bit down on her lip, trying ever so hard to withhold the giggles threatening to spill from her, as she crept closer, and closer to the bed. At last, hovering mear inches above the sleeping form, she raised the glass above her head, ready to pour...but it was not to be...

"Don't even think about it." The sleeping body grumbled dryly, turning onto her side to blink lazily at the child..

"Aw, Helen, I thought you were still asleep!" the little raven haired girl whined with a huff, stomping her foot.

"I know." the teen chuckled, smirking at her adoptive sister.

Erin smiled playfully back at her sister, and raised the glass back up all the same..

"Can I still pour water on you?" she giggle, jiggling the glass slightly.

The water sloshed around the rim, and Helen eyed it cautiously.

"No, of course not!" she laughed, throwing the blankets off of her body and sitting up.

She jumped out of bed gracefully, and Erin pouted as she passed by her and headed for her dresser.

"You're no fun Hel..." She grumbled, stomping out of the room, but the smile still remained.

Helen listened as the girl hit the bottom step, and was content when she heard the contents of the glass empty into the kitchen sink.

"Another catastrophe averted, heh..." she chuckled, shaking her head.

After getting dressed, Helen joined the child in the kitchen, stretching as she made her way across the room..

"You hungry squirt?" she asked as she reached the refrigerator and opened it to inspect it's contents.

"Yeah! Make French toast!" Erin cried, nodding enthusiastically, the let down from the water incident just minutes before already dissipated.

Helen laughed, but she could not refuse her sister's request. She never could.

She grabbed the bread off the counter, and tossed it next to the stove and then gathered the milk, eggs and cinnamon and began to prepare the meal.

"Erin? Can you get the frying pan and set it on the stove with some margarine? And turn on the flame please?" she asked, whipping the substance together in the bowl.

"Okies!" She smiled, running to the pantry.

French toast was her favorite, and anything she could do to speed up its arrival was well worth it.

"So... where are Mom and Dad?" the child asked, fiddling with the nobs on the stove, trying to find the right one.

"They're at another conference for the next few days." Helen replied, sighing as she reached over and turned on the stove herself before Erin could burn herself.

"Oh..." The girl mumbled, walking to the table where she sat down. "That explains why they're not home yet. Wish they'd have told me, I'd have cleaned my room later..." she laughed, falling into her chair.

Helen snorted , and shook her head at the girl.

"They did... you just weren't listening." She laughed, watching the girl slip into another pout.

The child sighed, and took to simply watching her sister cook. She examined her closely, but never ceased to get frustrated when doing so...

She had never thought that Helen looked like their Mother, or their Father. In fact, no one in their family looked remotely similar to her. They were all Korean, with black hair and dark eyes, whereas Helen's hair was nearly blue, with the eyes to match. At times, she often wondered if maybe Helen and the REAL Helen were switched at birth, and someone else had her real sister.

"Helen?" Erin asked, completely unaware of what she was saying. "How come you don't look like Mommy and Daddy? Or me for that matter?"

Helen looked from the sizzling toast abruptly, staring at the child. She was shocked, to say the least, but the question had been bound to come up eventually.

"Well, Erin," Helen began, setting the French toast, and the bottle of syrup in front of the girl. "Do you think you're old enough to understand, and be reasonable about it?" she asked, raising an eyebrow, as she put her own plate together.

Erin nodded, and jammed a large fork full of the syrupy toast into her small mouth, eyes wide in anticipation.

"Okay then..." she trailed off briefly, trying to find the right words. "Do you know what adoption is?" she asked, sitting down at the table at last.

Again Erin nodded.

"Yeah, that's when a Mommy and Daddy take a little baby from a home with lots of babies, and take care of it because the REAL Mommy and Daddy can't." she stated bluntly eyeing her sister.

Helen nodded, and took a bite of her own food.

"That's correct, more or less." She chuckled. "I'm adopted. Years ago, Mom and Dad were told they couldn't have children, and they adopted me. However, you came along a few years later. Doctors aren't always right." She smiled.

Erin gaped at her and gasped dramatically.

"You mean you're not my real sister?" Erin pouted.

"Oh, Erin." Helen sighed. "It doesn't matter if we're REAL sisters or not, I'll always think of you as my sister, no matter what."

"Promise?" she whined.

"I promise." Helen smiled.

Unlike Erin, Helen had always known that she was adopted.

They ate the rest of their breakfast in content silence. However, just as Helen began to put the dishes in the sink, the phone rang, breaking that silence. She quickly set the dishes down, and dashed to the phone.

"Hello?" She asked, putting the receiver to her ear..

"Helen Barker?" A raspy voice spoke.

"Yes…May I ask who's speaking?" She asked politely, watching as her sister left the table, and turned the water on for her.

The man on the line laughed.

"You are far more polite than your Father...that's good."

She frowned, and leaned back against the wall.

"I don't understand...My father was the one who taught me phone manners, you make no sense." she replied, confused.

The man sighed, and she couldn't help but begin to feel annoyed.

"No Helen," The man began. "I mean your REAL Father."

Helen gasped, and the phone slipped from her hand briefly. She caught it just before it clattered to the floor, and immediately returned the device to her ear.

"Who is this? How do you know about that, tell me!" She pled urgently, ignoring the worried stare Erin was giving her. The questions began to race through her mind like the wind from a hurricane. How did this man know who her biological father was? Who was this man to begin with? Why was he calling her?

"I've called to warn you." Replied the voice. "You may be needed soon, be prepared for the worst. Just know this... your parents sought to protect you by keeping you away, but you are no longer safe..." and with that, the man hung up, leaving Helen to shakily replace the receiver and stare at the tiled floor.

"Helen what's wrong?" Erin asked, tugging on her pants.

She had never seen her sister look so worried.

Had something happen to their parents?

She stared down at the small child, and managed a weak smile.

She couldn't bring her into this...

"I…I'm not sure," she stuttered. "I think I'm just tired, that's all."

"But who was on the phone?" The child pried, knowing full well that Helen was hiding something.

"A wrong number sweetie, go get dressed..." She murmured.

She watched as the child bolted up the stairs before heaving a great sigh of relief. She yanked the fridge open, and slowly poured herself a glass of orange juice, gulping it down as she tried to rid herself of the churning in her stomach.

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Chapter two, completed. We hope you enjoyed it, and that you'll review and let us know what you thought. Chapter three is in progress, and will hopefully be posted soon enough.

Ja, mata!


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